Dry concentrator



July 26, 1932. H. A. GOOLD 1,868,896

DRY CONCENTRA'I'OR Filed April 4, 1930 IN V EN TOR.

A TTORNEYS.

i rated.

Patented July 26, 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE HORACE A. soon), or

SOUTHGA'IE, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR, OF ON E-HALF T MICHAEL I4- FOGAR'IY, 015 LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA DRY GONCEN'ITRATOR Application filed April 4,

This invention relates to a concentrator for dry ores. The invention comprises an improved riffie construction which is combined with novel means for vibrating the riffie bed in such a manner as to cooperate efficiently With the peculiar construction of the riffles.

An object of the invention is tov provide improved means for suddenly arresting the vibratory movement of the riffie bed in one direction thereby causing the lighter particles being treated to be directed towards the outlet for the tailings or gangue, in a more eflicient manner, with the result that the heavier particles are more efficiently sepa- The invention further relates to a novel arrangement and construction of the riffles with relation to the riftle bed, whereby the more valuable concentrates are continuously fed to one side of the riflie bed in an improved manner, While the remainder of the concentrates are permitted to move toward the other side of the bed, thus making it possible to separate these two portions in a more satisfactory manner.

Other objects of the invention are to provide a more compact and efliciently operable device of the character described which can be transported conveniently upon pack mules or in any other manner necessary across rough country and which may more safely be depended. upon to operate efliciently and without getting out of order.

Other objects,advantages and features of invention may hereinafter appear.

Referring to the accompanying drawing which illustrates what is at present deemed to be a tion,

Fig. 1 is a plan view of the rilile bed.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the rifile bed showing also the mechanism for vibrating the same.

Fig. 3 is an elevation looking at the left end of Fig. 1.

preferred embodiment of the inven 1930. Serial No. 441,613.

Fig. 4 is a cross section on line 4-4 of Fig- 1.

Fig. 5 is a cross section on line 55 of Fig. 1.

Fig. Fig. 1.

Fig. 7 is a diagrammatic plan of the rifile bed illustrating the surface contour thereof.

Fig. 8 is a side elevation of Fig. 7.

Fig. 9 is an elevation of the ritlle bed looking at the small end thereof, and showing the sanlie in a conventional manner on a reduced .sca e.

Referring in detail to the drawing, in order to provide means to support the riffle bed B. together with its riftles R, at the desired transverse inclination, said bed is mounted upon a deck or table T, to the bottom of which is secured the vertical portion 10 of the inverted T-rail member 11, the stem of said member being welded or otherwise secured to one arm of a hinge 13, the other arm of said hinge being secured, in any desired manner, to the bottom of the table T.

A plurality of stay bolts 17 which are arranged in pairs are provided, the members of each pair being aligned with each other and being adjustably connected by means of tur11- buckles 18. The adjustment of these turnbuckles which connect one side of the table T with the plate 11, will regulate the transverse position of the table.

To the bottom of the part 11 is bolted or otherwise secured a downward extension or leg having at its'lower end a foot 26 which acts as a striker to strike a resilient bumper 27 carried by a standard 28 which is secured to the floor member 29.

"Said leg 25, preferably'at about its midlength, is pivotally connected with the connecting rod 30 of the crank 31, which is driven by the crank shaft 32. Said crank shaft 32 has its bearings in a standard 33 mounted upon the top member 34 of the frame 35.

6 is a cross section on line 66 of Shaft 32 may be driven by a pulley 36 by means of a belt 37 which passes over the driving pulley 38 of the motor 39.

In order to control the amount of rebound produced by the impact of the foot 26 with the resilient bumper 27, an inelastic flexible cable or connection 40 is secured at one end to said foot and at its other end, by means of an eye bolt 42, to the central portion of a leaf spring 43. The lower end of said spring is secured to the frame by means of a clip 45, and the upper end of said. spring is loosely held in place by means of a keeper 46.. Nuts 47 and 48 on eye bolt 42 serve to adjust the length of the connection formed by cable in conjunction with said eye bolt.

It will be observed that the leg 25 has directly connected therewith the means. for oscillating the rifle bed and also has directly connected therewith the part which strikes the bumper 27 and the elements 40, 42 and 43 whichpartially arrest. the movement: of the rifle bed at the instant the striking. element comes. into contact with said bumper. This arrangement provides an improved device for withstanding the shock and: also simplifies the construction of the machine, it being a. simpler matter: to connect the power for oscillatingthe ri'flezbed and the parts for restraining the oscillation thereof with a single part, such astheleg'25, than it would be to connect these features of the: machine with different parts thereof.

The top member 34 of the frame 35 is preferably inclined to about the same extent as the rifle bed member B. Pillow blocks 50 are secured to the lower side of the plate 10, and the like pillow blocks 51 are attached to the frame; member 34. Thesev pillow blocks 50 and 51 are connected to each otherby means of. links 52 whereby the bed member B is operatively supported to: be vibrated by the connecting rod. 30'.

Across the lower end of the rifle bedmember B extends a discharge chute wherein are provided upright gates 61 and 62,. the gate 61 being pivotally supported at (Sta at its lower end and the gate 62 being'pivotally supported at 62a at itslower end. These gates form adjustable partitions of the well known kind to direct the discharge material through the discharge openings 63, 64 and 65.

The valuable materials which are directed by the rifles R toward the lower side of the rifle bed as viewed in Fig. 1, are all collected at the lower left hand corner of said rifle bed by means of a substantially horizontal metal plate provided with one or more creases 71, said crease or creases serving to conduct the valuable material into the discharge hopper 65. Therefore the shape of the-rifles R combined with: the way that the bed is vibrated begins to separate the fine values from the coarse at the commencement ef' this travel over the" rifle bed, and the construction of the rifles on the lower end. of

the table separates the coarse values from the coarse gangue, and the fine values and the coarse values meet at one corner of the lower end of the table.

The rifle bed B tapers throughout its length uniformly on each side. On the feed end the surface is higher, say one inch above the level of its other end. The material to be treated is fed to the rifle bed near the right hand end thereof as viewed in Fig. 1. It may be either mechanically or manually supplied, and should in either case be delivered to the portion marked Low point in Fig. 7.

The rifles are so constructed that they rise from thecenter of the table-on theconcentrate side allowing the coarse to flow over the line as the result of the oscillation of the rifle bed. On the tailing side of the feed end the rifles: are so raised. that they are higher till they reach the center of the table on the side thereof that formsapocket down: through the center of the table allowing the values tobe separated from the ganguelasits flows down across; the center of the table, being forced by the movement of the table toward the concentrate side.

In Fig; 7 is diagrammatically indicated the preferred surface slope and levels of the upper surface of the rifle bed member B whereby the course taken by the materials moving across said. bed is controlled as desired. In this view the part labeled high level is substantially flat and substantially parallel tothe general plane of the upper surface of the rifle bed.

- The triangular surface at the r'ght hand side of said high level area slopes down to the corner portion labeled Low point. At the other side of the high level area is the other sloping area 76 which slopes from the high level side down tothe corner portion labeled Low point at the side of the View.

Describing in detail the construction of the rifles, upon the rifle bed Bis mounted a series of transversely extending cross bars C upon which are supported the series of rifles R which extend diagonally with respect tothe rifle bed. Each of these rifles, by preference and as shown,,is of the same width and throughout the greater portion of its length is the same height. Adjacent one side of the rifle bed as a whole and throughout the entire length thereof said rifles R are each provided with the risers 82 which are illustrated in detail in Figs. 4 and 5. These risers 82 consist of wedge shaped bodies which are bevelled in two directions that is to say are not only bevelled with regard to their length but are bevelled from side to side so that their thin ends, which are directed toward the feed or intake end, terminate not in a line, but practically in a single point.

The preferred arrangement of these risers is such that for example, in a rifle bed eight feet in length, throughout the upper-four feet of the length of the rifle bed these risers will each come up to the top of the rifle in which it is located; but throughout the remaining lower portion of the rifle bed they will gradually become lower until they produce very little effect on the substance passing thereover.

Each of said risers are provided at the side thereof which is directed toward the discharge end of the rifle bed, with a groove 88 adapted to conduct any of the light fine values across to the next lower rifle.

Later-ally beyond the area of the rifle bed which is provided with these risers, the rifles may all be left unobstructed, as shown in the drawing, but the invention is not limited to the use of these risers in any particular part of the rifle bed.

Distributed, preferably throughout the en tire floor of the rifle bed, are a series of tongue members 90, one of which is shown in detail in Fig. 6. These tongue members are struck up from the sheet metal plate P which forms the bottom of the rifle, each of said members having its free end directed downwardly that is, toward the discharge end of the rifle bed. This provides a transverse groove 91 along the upper side of the tongue 90 and a slit 92 toward its free end, this arrangement aids in separating the values.

Air is taken in through the bottom of the table adjacent the discharge end, by means of the air inlet member 97, thus passing up through the slots 92 and lifting the material, thus helping in the separation of light and heavy and of small and coarse values from the gangue.

The sheet metal tongues 90 can be bent at will to regulate the side of the slits 94 attheir sides and the slits 92 at their ends, thus regulating the flow of air through the bottoms of the rifles.

In Fig. 2 the length of the crank arm 31 is exaggerated for clearance of illustration. In practice the distance which the rifle bed will be vibrated will vary from a quarter of an inch to three quarters of an inch.

During the oscillation of the rifle bed the fine values are forced to the bottom of the rifles. While the ore is passing over the face of each riser the coarse values are always on the upgrade side of the riser.

The groove 83 reaches to the lower side of the riser at the pointed end of said riser. Therefore every time a portion of ore passes across the riser, the riser performs a partial cleaning, by removing a portion of the gangue.

The groove 83 prevents any values that happen to climb up the riser from being carried over with the gangue into the next rifle. The whole tendency of the risers is to keep the line values above the coarse on the surface of the risers or rifles until such fine values are adapted to strike said bumper, an inelastic connection adjustably connected with said extension to limit the extent to which said extension moves against said bumper, a rod connected with said extension, means to reciprocate said rod to vibrate said bed, and a leaf spring to which said connection is secured.

2. In combination, a rifle bed, a resilient bumper, means for supporting said bumper in a fixed position adjacent to said bed, a rigid extension carried by said bed and adapted to strike said bumper, an inelastic connection adjustably connected with said extension to limit the extent to which said extension moves against said bumper, a rod connected with said extension, means to reciprocate said rod to vibrate said bed, and a leaf spring supported at its ends, said connection being secured to said spring between its ends.

3. In combination, a rifle bed, a resilient bumper, means for supporting said bumper in a fixed position below said bed, a leg rigidly fixed to said bed and provided with a striking portion to strike said bumper, resilient means connected with the striking portion of said leg to oppose its movement as it comes into engagement with the bumper, and means connected with said leg between the striking portion thereof and the rifle bed to oscillate said leg and the rifle bed.

4. In combination, a rifle bed, a resilient bumper to oppose the movement of said bed in one direction, a flexible connection operatively related to said bed to limit the extent to which said extension moves against said bumper, a spring to which said flexible connection is attached, means to adjust the length of said connection with relation to said spring, and means to vibrate said bed.

5. A rifle provided with a riser of a wedge shape tapered in two directions, the thick side of said riser being positioned along one side of one of the rifle walls to discharge the gangue into the next rifle, said riser having a longitudinal groove adjacent the next rifle to discharge values over the front end of the riser, thereby preventing said values from passing into the next rifle with the gangue.

6. A. rifle provided with a riser of a wedge shape tapered in two directions, the thick side of said riser being positioned along one side or one of the rifiie; Walls to dischargethe gangue into the next riflie, said riser,- having alongitudinal groove adjacent the next riflie to discharge values over the front end 7 of the riser, thereby preventing said values from passing into the next riflie with the gangue, said groove extending from the top of said riser to the lower side and pointed end thereof.

' In testimony whereof I hereunto afiix my signature.

HORACE A. GOOLD. 

